Gelatine-based sponges have been used as haemostatic agents in surgical procedures.
Dean Jr. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,997,753; 4,863,856 and 4,861,714) discloses the use of weighted collagen microsponges for immobilising bioactive materials.
EP 0 702 081 discloses a matrix for tissue culturing comprising two kinds of sponges.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,462, 860 discloses a culture medium for rapid growth and detection of microbes.
Conventional methods of sampling an area for a target area comprise the use of cotton swabs. Sample recovery from the surface is limited due to the low recovery from the surface area to the swab and then low transfer from the swab to a culturing medium. The level of recovery of micro-organisms from surfaces is critical when complying with USP/NF guidelines and EU-GMP guidelines. The present invention addresses this problem and provides for a dramatically improved device for sampling an area.